Websites Remain Top Priority for B2B Marketers in 2013

According to a recent study carried out by Torpedo, 70 per cent of B2B marketers considered their website to be a key priority in their marketing plans. Following closely behind was direct marketing, telemarketing and social media – all thought to be key priorities and considered to be the most effective initiatives within the marketing mix.

This should come as no surprise to most B2B marketers, and the results are certainly consistent with the amount of digital work we are being requested to do for clients on a day-to-day basis. Sitting at the hub of almost all marketing activity, the company website arguably plays the most important role in generating new business leads and supporting existing customers.

Yet many businesses still fail to realise that simply having a website is not enough, and over look important issues such as user experience and how to drive visitors to a specific call-to-action. The fact is, your website is essentially your shop window; it needs to work hard for you by driving more traffic, generating more enquiries and improving conversion ratios.

If you want to make your website work harder for your business, here are 6 essential factors you need to consider:

The user – It is vital to take a step back to consider what you would like a visitor to do or take away from your website, and what you would like to get out of the interaction.

The content – The term ‘content is king’ is frequently bounded about in the marketing environment. But what kind of content is most effective? Immersive content is essential to increase the amount of time visitors spend on the site. Video should be an intrinsic element of your content and assets such as Whitepapers and reports combined with interactive tools such as an ROI calculators add value. Importantly, make sure content is relevant, informative, ‘bite-sized’ and refreshed often. And don’t forget, good content is just as important for improving SEO performance as it is for your customers and prospects.

The design – Put yourself in your customer’s shoes, consider the different personas and serve up a user experience that is on brand, consistent and appropriate to your target audience.

The call to action – Make sure your web pages have a call to action; whether it’s providing information, driving sales or developing a better insight. Be careful not overload your audience with too many choices. Add conversion measures on pages so you know if they are successful.

The mobile experience – The expectation from users is that a website will work equally well whether they are accessing it from their desktop PC, their tablet or smartphone. Site designs and content should be responsive and provide a user experience that fits the device.

The performance – Make the most of site analytics and really take some time to monitor and analyse what’s working and not working on your site. Don’t just sit on it, be proactive and continually make changes as required to increase site effectiveness.

Your website must be more than just an attractive online brochure. Contact our team to find out how to turn your website into a valuable lead generation tool for your business.